Road less travelled could be solution to skills shortage

GOING into the New Year, it only takes one glance at last year’s List of Scarce and Critical skills to identify where we continue to miss the boat on SA’s skills shortage crisis.

The truth is, far from popular belief, youngsters have many more promising options than pledging themselves to the conventional law, accounting or engineering degrees to one day ‘make it’ out there.

Here are some of the most required job applications.

There is a demand for more animal behaviourists, botanists, zoo keepers, park rangers, biokineticists, gallery and museum curators, animal groomers, confectionary bakers, tour bus drivers, book and script editors, painters, music directors, directors of film, television, radio or stage and jockeys (no horsing around).

Also managers for franchises, sales, warehouses, small businesses, guest houses, cafés and restaurants, betting agencies, cinemas and theatres, club memberships and travel agencies.

Sports junkies have potential with sports coaches marked as critical for SA and light or sound technicians are noted as other safe career options.

Taking all this into account, the world is a young animal lover, budding artist, Mother Nature guardian, sporty teen and tech-savvy student’s oyster.

Yet, the common theory that it is best to finish school and head off to university to study a more run-of-the-mill course is imprinted in our minds, propelling the vicious skills gap circle.

With so many interesting job availabilities in our country, it is perhaps better to educate the majority of teens, who often are extremely anxious about their future, to consider the abundance of career options.

For one, many are not aware they can become green keepers (also on the list), necessary to manage and maintain the turfs of SA’s hundreds of golf courses.

But whatever the qualification, do ensure the chosen tertiary institution is stamped with the necessary accreditation.